The bar for musicals about high school mean girls isn't high, but "Heathers," which opened Monday night at New World Stages, surpasses it nicely, thanks in large part to a brightly attractive leading lady with the unlikely name of Barrett Wilbert Weed.

She plays Veronica, the nice, smart, kind girl who, out of a desire to be more popular, is drawn into the circle of the three evil Heathers who rule the school.

Most of the characters in the show, based on the 1988 film of the same name, are the familiar cartoonish exaggerations of high school students (although with the sharp edge of lifelike bullying).

They include the Heathers (Jessica Keenan Wynn, Elle McLemore and Alice Lee) and two knuckleheaded football players (Evan Todd and Jon Eidson). Their main target is Veronica's friend, the chubby, naive Martha (Katie Ladner).

The problem this creates for Veronica, of choosing prestige or compassion, is clichéd. But Weed's pretty, slightly gawky Veronica is so natural, we can feel the conflict in this teenager between decent, mature behavior and the yearning for acceptance.

As fans of the movie know, "Heathers" goes into much darker territory, and this is where the musical loses its way, failing to find a tone that can encompass spoofiness, social satire and depravity.

Inspired by a wish to cleanse the world, Veronica and her boyfriend, J.D. (an appealing Ryan McCartan), a newcomer in town, begin to plot revenge against the school's bad people, which leads to murders, which they cover up as suicides, causing a wide variety of responses in the community.

Kevin Murphy and Laurence O'Keefe, who collaborated on the book, music and lyrics, and director Andy Fickman never pull all the show's strands together. Most of the scenes are played for laughs, but seeing students shot to death, while a plan is hatched to blow up the entire school, doesn't seem very funny these days.

Musically, "Heathers" is the usual kids-in-high school stuff, predictable but not unpleasant, although the vulgarity of the lyrics could have been toned down.

The show is about 20 minutes too long, but, over all, it's breezy entertainment. Weed, though, is the big find here. She's a performer to watch.

The bar for musicals about high school mean girls isn't high, but "Heathers," which opened Monday night at New World Stages, surpasses it nicely, thanks in large part to a brightly attractive leading lady with the unlikely name of Barrett Wilbert Weed.

She plays Veronica, the nice, smart, kind girl who, out of a desire to be more popular, is drawn into the circle of the three evil Heathers who rule the school.

Most of the characters in the show, based on the 1988 film of the same name, are the familiar cartoonish exaggerations of high school students (although with the sharp edge of lifelike bullying).

They include the Heathers (Jessica Keenan Wynn, Elle McLemore and Alice Lee) and two knuckleheaded football players (Evan Todd and Jon Eidson). Their main target is Veronica's friend, the chubby, naive Martha (Katie Ladner).

The problem this creates for Veronica, of choosing prestige or compassion, is clichéd. But Weed's pretty, slightly gawky Veronica is so natural, we can feel the conflict in this teenager between decent, mature behavior and the yearning for acceptance.

As fans of the movie know, "Heathers" goes into much darker territory, and this is where the musical loses its way, failing to find a tone that can encompass spoofiness, social satire and depravity.

Inspired by a wish to cleanse the world, Veronica and her boyfriend, J.D. (an appealing Ryan McCartan), a newcomer in town, begin to plot revenge against the school's bad people, which leads to murders, which they cover up as suicides, causing a wide variety of responses in the community.

Kevin Murphy and Laurence O'Keefe, who collaborated on the book, music and lyrics, and director Andy Fickman never pull all the show's strands together. Most of the scenes are played for laughs, but seeing students shot to death, while a plan is hatched to blow up the entire school, doesn't seem very funny these days.

Musically, "Heathers" is the usual kids-in-high school stuff, predictable but not unpleasant, although the vulgarity of the lyrics could have been toned down.

The show is about 20 minutes too long, but, over all, it's breezy entertainment. Weed, though, is the big find here. She's a performer to watch.